Oral Histories

Interview of Paul A. Hatfield

Operator of a cloud seeding and artificial rain business.
Subtitle:
The Hatfield Brothers, Rainmakers
Topic:
Community History
Biographical Note:
Operator of a cloud seeding and artificial rain business.
Interviewer:
Mink, James V.
Interviewee:
Hatfield, Paul A.
Place Conducted:
Hatfield home in Pearblossom, California.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by James V. Mink, University Archivist and Director, Oral History Program, UCLA; B.A., M.A., history, UCLA; B.L.S., librarianship, UC Berkeley; Certificate in Archival Administration and Preservation, American University, Washington, D.C.
Processing of Interview:
The transcript was edited by Winston Wutkee, Assistant Editor, UCLA Oral History Program. The transcript of the interview was checked against the original tape recordings and edited only for spelling, punctuation, and syntax. All proper names were verified wherever possible, and those which the editor was unable to verify were referred to the respondent. The transcript was reviewed by Hatfield, who made no changes. The transcript was returned to the Program on April 15, 1971. The index was prepared by Joel Gardner, Assistant Editor, UCLA Oral History Program. The introduction and interview history were prepared by the Interviewer.
Length:
5.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Abstract:
Recollections about interviewee's brother, Charles Mallory Hatfield (1875-1958), famed as "Hatfield, the Rainmaker"; early experiments with rainmaking, 1902; move to Inglewood, California, 1903; rainmaking activities: Big Tujunga and La Crescenta, 1904; Altadena, 1904-5; San Joaquin Valley, 1906-11; Yukon Territory; Oregon; Canada; Washington; Honduras; Texas; and Hemet, California; Morena Dam fills and floods San Diego, 1916; experiments in Mojave Desert followed by cloudburst at Sand Canyon, 1922; statement by Charles Hatfield about his rainmaking activities, made in 1955.